Tom Vanderbilt - Traffic (2011)

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The way humans hunt for parking and the way animals hunt for food are not as different as you might think.

Tom Vanderbilt

Human attention, in the best of circumstances, is a fluid but fragile entity. Beyond a certain threshold, the more that is asked of it, the less well it performs. When this happens in a psychological experiment, it is interesting. When it happens in traffic, it can be fatal.

Tom Vanderbilt

Men may or may not be better drivers than women, but they seem to die more often trying to prove that they are.

Tom Vanderbilt

Many traffic signs have become like placebos, giving false comfort to the afflicted, or simple boilerplate to ward off lawsuits, the roadway version of the Kellogg's Pop-Tarts box that says, Warning: Pastry Filling May Be Hot When Heated.

Tom Vanderbilt

When a situation feels dangerous to you, it's probably more safe than you know; when a situation feels safe, that is precisely when you should feel on guard.

Tom Vanderbilt

As Harvard University psychologist Daniel Gilbert argues, 'You can't adapt to commuting, because it's entirely unpredictable. Driving in traffic is a different kind of hell every day.'

Tom Vanderbilt